Elderly left hungry as care home trys to cut costs

8th June 2012

A health watchdog has found that elderly residents were left hungry because the care home they lived in was trying to save money.

The Care Quality Commission found residents were routinely left without food at Lyndhurst Lodge in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, after it ran out of supplies because of an apparent attempt to "cut down the shopping bill".

Inspectors, who carried out an unannounced visit in April, were also told by staff that they bought snacks for the frail and elderly residents out of their own money.

The CQC has issued the home with a formal warning after inspectors found dirty toilets, broken furniture, residents not dressed in clean clothes, poor training, staff shortages, low staff morale with little support from managers and no budget for stimulating activities for the residents.

The report stated: “Staff at the home told us that they regularly run out of food. They told us that they do not think people get enough choice of food and that there is very little offered to people who use the service in between meal times.”

However, care home director Edward Halliwell denied that staff had to bring in food.

The home has been ordered to report back to the CQC within seven days on what steps are being taken to improve.

Andrea Gordon, CQC’s deputy director of operations, said: “Our inspectors will return in the near future and if we find that the required progress is not made we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers to protect the people who use this service.”